Metallica’s 72 Seasons was the most anticipated album of the year, finally arriving in April, seven years after its predecessor, Hardwired… To Self-Destruct. Full-speed-or-nothing single Lux Æterna may have called back to the band’s early days, but 72 Seasons itself was an epic trawl through singer James Hetfield’s psyche, recorded against the backdrop of the pandemic.
Then the band embarked on the equally ambitious M72 World Tour, which saw them playing two shows in each destination, with a different setlist each night. It also found the quartet bringing their in-the-round stage to stadiums for the first time, complete with Snake Pit in the centre. And it’s not done yet –the run extends towards the end of 2024.
“It’s all go, man,” says bassist Rob Trujillo, speaking to Hammer from Mexico City, where he’s watching his son, Tye, play with his own former band, Suicidal Tendencies. “Sometimes you’ve just gotta roll up your sleeves and move forward.”
How has 2023 been for Metallica?
“2023 has been great. The release of was obviously a big deal for us, especially considering we couldn’t be in the same room together most of the time we were writing it [due to the pandemic]. We started workinglike 20 times, but the first take was the one we used.”
